


in despite of

by youcallitwinter



Category: Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-02
Updated: 2014-05-02
Packaged: 2018-01-21 16:51:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1557389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youcallitwinter/pseuds/youcallitwinter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>How to break rules 1-100 of the Girl Code:</i> so she kind of does that thing where she falls in love with her best friend's ex and, um, oops?</p><p>[future-fic] [caroline; stefan/caroline] [oneshot]</p>
            </blockquote>





	in despite of

**Author's Note:**

> ugh, my stefan/caroline feels are out of control, WHAT WILL ALL THE SHIPPER-BAITING GOING ON. If it doesn't actually happen, I will (...think of something appropriately revengey.) I wrote this at the beginning of the season (which is why Bonnie is dead, ouch) so it's VASTLY amusing to me that "the universe" was an actual thing for about 60% of the season re: stelena.

So, she kind of does that thing where she falls in love with her best friend’s ex.

And, um, oops?

 

 

-

 

 

_Girl Code Rules Number 1-100: Thou shalt not fall in love with thy bff’s ex boyfriend._

_Clause 45: Especially if he once threatened to throw her off a bridge and then left her to drown._

“That’s not a real _thing_ ,” Bonnie says, laughing. Beautiful Bonnie, Catty Caroline, Eternal Elena.

Except Bonnie doesn’t say, because Bonnie is dead. But Bonnie totally would’ve said it if she hadn’t been.

“It's totally a  _thing_ ,” Caroline says, out loud, to Bonnie. Which makes her insane in the eyes of the people watching, but dude, she’s a vampire. Insane isn’t even in the rear-view mirror anymore.

 

  
-

 

  
“Do you want a cigarette?”

_I love you._

Stefan looks at her through half-lidded eyes, “since when do you smoke?”

She shrugs, “I don’t.”

He looks confused, for a second, “then why do you have a cigarette?”

_Because I love you._

“I don’t.” So it would’ve kind of been a better plan to say something else that didn’t involve a cigarette she doesn’t have. But then she might just have said that other thing out loud and had to set herself on fire with that cigarette she doesn’t have.

He’s looking at her- not confused, exactly- more, just, amused, and if he thinks too much, he’s going to hit on it, because he’s  _Stefan Salvatore._

“You shouldn’t smoke anyway,” she adds, hastily, “it’s bad for your—”

_Vampire_ , right.

“Bad.” she ends, lamely.

He laughs, and maybe it’s a good thing she’s never had a filter, and this is literally her normal, or something.

 

  
-

 

  
So here’s the list of things she can do:

1\. Stake herself

2\. Tell him  _then_  stake herself.

3\. Tell Elena then probably have Elena stake her, even though Elena’s kinda-maybe-sorta with Damon, but god knows, if epic love transcends the brother of the epic love.

4\. Tell him and Elena and then let The Powers That Be handle it, because she broke the  _Girl Code_ , that shit is serious, and probably involves karmic retribution from the universe that further probably involves an eternity of torture by being locked in a room with Kol Mikaelson and his baseball bat, true story. (Except Kol Mikaelson is kind of hot, in this evil, murdery way, so okay, maybe more like Freddy Krueger and Kol Mikaelson's baseball bat.)

5\. Run away and answer to the name of Glinda Fairweather and try not to laugh nervously when someone sings  _Sweet Caroline_ , because people have a tendency to randomly do that. Fucking Neil Diamond.

6\. Tell nobody and keep pining secretly like that chick from all those movies about falling in love with your best friend ever made.

(6.1. Look up synonyms to the word 'pine' which makes the whole deal sound less pathetic and unrequited, and more...grandiose. Tragic, even. Like something someone would want to make a movie about and not something that just makes her an awful person and a shitty friend.)

7\. Wait to self-implode, because there has to be a maximum limit to the amount of lameness that the world can handle.

 

 

-

 

 

 _The Idiot's Guide To Rules of The Universe: thou shalt not fall in love with thy best friend because did thy not watch My Best Friend's Wedding that one time?_  
  
That is the realistic version. Taylor Swift songs about people belonging with other people  _lie,_  and this is the  _universe_  so it knows what it's saying.

 

 

-

 

 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” He’s eyeing her strangely.  
  
“Yes,” she snaps. Being a bitch is in-character, she aced that one English test in tenth grade, she knows this character stuff.  
  
He raises his hands in defence, “just asking.”  
  
“Well,” she says,  _you can stop looking like that, I’m fine_ , “I love you.”  
  
Wait, that went a little wrong.  
  
“I love you too.” He laughs, and ruffles her hair because she’s an adorable kitten.  _Bastard._  
  
 _Do you want a cigarette?_   “I am _in love_ with you.”  
  
What the fuck is happening?  
  
Option 5, it is.

 

 

-

 

  
  
(He lets her run, she knows. Because he’s older, he’s stronger, he can catch her, but he lets her run.  
  
So, well, that’s that.)

 

  
  
-

 

 

She notes with surprise the universe doesn’t end. And neither does she.  
  
“The world works in mysterious ways,” she says to the sweet, old lady at the supermart, who probably doesn’t speak English.  
  
“Fuck off.”  
  
Maybe that’s French for,  _yes, it does._

 

  
  
-

 

  
  
He’s leaning against the turnstile outside her house, when she gets back. Hands crossed, like he didn’t practice it in front of the mirror, which, bitch, please, she may be seventeen-going-on-fucking- _stupid_ but she’s seen that one James Dean movie, like, ten times.  
  
“Caroline—”  
  
“Glinda,” she says, glaring, “that’s the name.”  
  
He doesn’t even skip a beat and she fucking  _loves_  him, oh  _god_ , “Glinda.”  
  
“Are you here to tell me you love me?” The moon isn’t even full, he could’ve at least waited a couple of days and, like, planned this, considering it’s been three days anyway. And it’s not true, so it would’ve made a more effective lie that way.  
  
“No,” he says, soft.  
  
Oh, don’t strain yourself trying to spare her  _feelings_  here or anything.  
  
She moves past him, “good day to you, sir. Don’t let something hard, pointy and wooden hit you on the way out.”  
  
He sighs, and how come he gets the angst and she gets the heartbreak? That isn't fair. That isn’t even a good story.  
  
“Caroline, you’re not in love with me.”  
  
She stops, “um, okay?”  
  
“You’re not in love, you’re just very,” he stops, “—seventeen.”  
  
“Don’t  _patronize_  me,” she says, and that dangerous undertone in her voice is kind of cool, she didn't know she could do that even at the point of tears, “you don’t want to be in love with me, that’s all fine and dandy. But don’t you dare tell me what  _I’m_  feeling.”  
  
“What are you feeling?” he asks, like he’s still _that_ Stefan Salvatore, The First (Real) (Totally Awesome) Guy Friend Caroline Forbes Has Had (Ever), and god, what if she lost that guy because she was such a moron and fuck, fuck,  _fuck_.  
  
“I don’t know,” she says, voice small, “like I’m in love.”  
  
He sighs again, and dude, did he, like, steal her part or something, because, drama queen much?  
  
“You’re going to break my heart,” he says, slowly, which is ridiculous because how even is—

 

  
  
-

 

 

  
Elena  _laughs_.  
  
Bonnie says something like “I told you so,” and if it’s only her subconscious, shouldn’t the voices in her head be nicer?

But the sex is  _fantastic_ , and even if Stefan's right and this isn’t love, she thinks she’ll stick around for this for a while.  
  
“That makes me feel really special,” Stefan grumbles, but he’s naked, so it’s kind of easy to tune him out.  
  
(He says 'Glinda' when he comes, and she's about to hit him and run screaming before-  _oh_ \- and if he's still thinking  _that_  much, she obviously needs to get her A-game here.  
  
The third time, he says her name. In this sort of strangled way, like he can't help it, that makes her flush a little. Stefan: 12, Caroline: 149214.)   
  
She's keeping count, obviously. Because he's always been the one with all the tallies. Ever since:  _Caroline. You and me, it's not gonna happen. Sorry._  

Take that, Mysterious New Guy Version of Stefan Salvatore. Because this? Is happening.  
  
“Do you want a cigarette?” she asks, later, because it’s appropriate this time, and it’d make a really hot scene with the sheets and everything. She thinks she'd like to make a movie, she thinks she'd like to have time enough to do everything it's possible in the world to do.  
  
He pulls her back in, instead, which is also good; she didn’t really have a cigarette anyway.


End file.
